"Iced" puts Maxell tape to the test

Maxell High Definition Tape Proven the Ultimate Medium for Capturing Professional Skiers in Their Natural Habitat

Las Vegas, NV (April 17, 2004) Director Randall Dark’s new skiing documentary, Iced, provides the perfect illustration of the advantages of shooting in High Definition (HD) video with Maxell HD media. Dark and his crew hiked for miles into the wilderness of Jackson Hole, Wyoming’s out-of-bounds skiing territory to find untouched powder, and the most adrenaline-inducing descents, in order to capture the sharp, kinetic images of professional skiers pushing their skills to the limit. Because of the freedoms afforded by HD, Dark was able to simply let his cameras roll, capturing skiers Lance Pickett, Jamie Sunberg, A.J. Cargill and Greg Epstein in all their unrestrained glory as they carved the mountainside during the brief two-day shoot.

“A skiing documentary is a blending of the two different genres – the nature film and the sports film,” said Dark. “In both cases flexibility is the key. Because of the economic benefits of tape over film, and because the logistics of shooting HD are simpler – you can see exactly what you’re shooting by glancing at the monitor – we were able to set up quickly and shoot a vast amount of footage, providing the freedom for those ellusive ‘magic moments’ to happen.”

With HD’s tremendous resolution and the 16:9 aspect ratio, Dark and his cameraman, Dave Nash, were able to capture the skiers as they shredded the wide vistas and untouched snow in rich, vibrant tones. “I was able to capture some of the best-looking HD slow-motion footage I’ve seen,” said Dark.

With the durability and reliability of Maxell’s 40-minute HDCAM videocassettes, which Dark used to both capture and edit his images, worries about tape performance were removed from the equation. With its sturdy, ultra-high performance binder system, which is an essential asset for working in volatile environments, and a recording density of 1.4 times greater than Digital Betacam, Maxell’s HD media guaranteed that the beauty of Dark’s arresting images would be held for posterity.

Iced was produced by Jackson Hole local Jason Winkler in cooperation with HD Vision Studios.

About HD Vision Studios
Co-founded by Randall Paris Dark, who started working in HDTV in 1986 when the High Definition industry was still in its infancy, HD Vision Studios is considered one of the world's leading digital production companies. The company opened in April 2002 to take advantage of the high concentration of entertainment-focused companies in Los Angeles County. HD Vision Studios is led by Dark, Steve Wiener as CEO and Jayme Wing as Editor/VP.

HD Vision Studios is a complete High Definition production and post-production facility for anyone producing motion pictures, independent features, television shows, or any project where HD video is the medium of choice. For more information, visit HD Vision Studios at www.hdvstudios.tv or call (818) 769-7300.

About Maxell
Maxell Corporation of America, a Hitachi-Maxell, Ltd. Company, is a leading full-line manufacturer of professional digital and analog audio and video media; computer data storage media; media products for consumer audio, video and camcorder applications; and batteries. Maxell also markets a full line of care and maintenance accessories and headphones.

For more information, visit Maxell at www.maxell.com.

"I Believe In HD"

In the current issue of High Definition Magazine, Randall Dark is as enthusiastic about HD as a man can possibly get. In an interview with Bob Pank, Dark says he regularly gets booed by film people, but they don't understand film is "fiction." Read this highly entertaining interview here: I Believe In HD

Wealth TV signs Randall Dark

WealthTV SIGNS HD VISIONARY RANDALL DARK TO PRODUCE
Programs Promise Adventure, Style and Allure

San Diego, CA, March 15, 2004 – Herring Broadcasting, Inc., the parent company of the WealthTV network, announces the signing of acclaimed producer Randall Dark for three signature programs to air exclusively on WealthTV. Dark is a pioneer in the realm of High Definition (HD) television and the president and founder of HD Vision Studios.

"Randall Dark represents the best in the industry when it comes to HD television entertainment. He’s one of the most accomplished producers in his field. We're proud to have him as a partner." said Chris Moore, WealthTV’s Director of Program Acquisitions.

Dark will produce three programs for WealthTV, which will be part of the network's HD lineup. Themes of the programs include high-end fashion, tours of the finest European cities and profiles of the seaports where the most luxurious yachts come to play.

According to Dark, the partnership with WealthTV will yield something special for those who appreciate the finer things in life. "WealthTV is committed to taking viewers on tours of the finest destinations in the world and showing the lifestyles of people we find most intriguing - the wealthy," Dark said. "The best way to see all of this is in true high definition. We’re going to deliver, in style."

About WealthTV
Herring Broadcasting, Inc. is launching the “WealthTV” network on June 1, 2004. WealthTV is a lifestyles and entertainment network designed to have broad appeal, providing a behind the scenes look into how the wealthy achieved and enjoy their success. WealthTV is launching numerous new programs in true high definition (HD) format. Visit WealthTV at www.wealthtv.net

About Randall Dark
Randall Paris Dark is the creative and marketing force behind HD Vision Studios, a complete High Definition Production and Post Production facility equipped with the latest technology, optimized for producing and finishing independent films, television shows, commercials, documentaries, music videos, industrials or any other project in which HD is the medium of choice.

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Dark moderates HD Super Session at HD Expo

The HD Super Session at HD Expo was moderated by Randall Dark, President of HD Vision Studios. The all-star panel screened work and took on issues such as, coping with changing technology, learning new techniques, dealing with digital production, and weighing costs vs. creativity.

Panelists include: Cinematographer Bill Bennett, ASC; Kristen Cox of 16x9 Productions, Mark Chiolis of Thomson, Yasuhiko Mikami, Sony, and Robert Shuster, Hollywood Studios Rentals.

"Stars with Sticks"

Lucky 13, Randall Dark took to the ice at the 2nd Annual "Stars With Sticks" Celebrity Hockey Game at the Health South Training Center in El Segundo, California. The annual event benefits the Starlight Children's Foundation of California, Arizona and Nevada.

Outlook 2004: the future is now

24 tech executives and producers predict which tools could make next year your best yet.

by Steven Klapow, Beth Marchant, Rock Stamberg

We posed this rather broad question to executives at major equipment and software manufacturers, knowing that their unique perspectives would form a template of what 2004 will mean for you both inside the studio and out in the field. We also gathered input from producers, each a specialist in a particular type of media, by asking them to answer the same question from experience. We didn't want them to wade through the dim mists of the future in search of emerging technology that had no bearing on the work they do now, but rather to single out the tool or technique that has helped them turn a corner in terms of quality, productivity and even revenue. So what's next? We think the answers that follow will help you get a clear, practical picture of what tomorrow looks like for the working producer.

"With the introduction of the new 2K DLP projector, directors can finally realize the images he created in his mind, perfectly displayed to his audience every time. In the past 17 years of using high definition to create content, the weakest link has constantly been image display. The amount of picture information captured in the content-creation process has always been unrealized when the final images were shown. Those days are now over. Not only can we use the 2K projector for end-product display but it can also be used throughout the entire creative process. Dailies can be viewed perfectly and instantly. During digital color timing, the creative team can finalize the look in post and know it will look exactly the same in a theater, even after hundreds of showings. No fading of color, no scratches and no dirt. 2K DLP will be known for putting the final nail in the film canister."

Randall Paris Dark
President and Director
HD Vision Studios


excerpt from AV Video Multimedia Producer

Hollywood and HD

by Nick Dager

The Hollywood production community has always had a love/hate relationship with new technology. Anyone who doubts this should review the history of the transition from silent films to talkies or, more recently, the acceptance of nonlinear editing.

Now comes digital high definition video. Not too many years ago, there were some in Hollywood who hated to even hear the term HD. Times, however, are changing fueled by three distinct developments: a growing track record of successful HD productions, improvements in HD technology and the constant demand to keep production costs low.

"I don't think Hollywood hates HD," says Randall Dark, founder of HD Vision Studios in Hollywood and a pioneer of HD production. "I think Hollywood has yet to understand HD. I don't think there's hatred ... there's caution. You're introducing a new technology and it's going to take time for that technology to be adopted. Hollywood is wary of new technology because it changes the dynamics of how we do things."

Jon Reiner, marketing manager, movie and television production, of Sony Electronics, agrees. "If you define Hollywood as the seven major studios, and if the studios represent something larger than just the $ 100 million feature motion picture, then I don't think they hate high definition if you look at a couple of things," he says. "Most of them are significantly involved in television production as well as feature production, and most of them have already produced high definition programming that was on the air last year. And if they haven't, they're planning to do so this season."

Reiner says,"With regard to television, three years ago high definition for [the studios] was a news item, two years ago it was worthy of a meeting and a technical demonstration. A year ago it was worthy of them adopting high definition as part of their production chain, certainly for situation comedies."

He says this is true to a lesser extent for dramatic series as well and adds, "It has begun to raise the level of interest for feature production for the same studios." Having said that, Reiner still believes that film origination of features isn't going away. "Motion picture production for some number of years will accommodate both digital production and film-originated production as long as there remains a viable market for film prints to be distributed and shown theatrically"

Brian SpruilI, VP/GM of worldwide sales operations/marketing for Kodak Entertainment Imaging, understandably echoes the viewpoint that film, despite the headlines, is far from dead. And while he accepts the reality that digital technology is making strides, he believes that film origination will be a Hollywood staple for years to come.

"There really is very little [feature] production being done, at least from the studios' perspective, in high definition or Digi Beta," Spruill says, adding that "there's also a lot of 16mm being done in independent features." He also believes that, given a choice, most producers would choose to shoot film but says, "Cost reasons don't always allow them to do that. "This is especially true in TV production. "In TV, it's pretty straightforward because it's going to be video distribution, and whether it becomes high definition or not is anybody's guess."

Spruill concedes,"that for some things, digital production is the look that the creator wants to have. The issue is always what look does the creative team of the producer, director and cinematographer want to achieve.'

THE WORKFLOW

Whether they shoot film or digital, however, producers are increasingly opting for a digital intermediate. Spruill calls this "a great trend for post houses" and says, "Digital mastering and digital intermediates are becoming a very popular thing to do. To get [projects] on the big screen [producers still] have to come back to film, and they generally do a digital intermediate or a digital master that's at a very high resolution." Kodak feels so strongly about this that they have announced plans to acquire Hollywood post house and early HD pioneer Laser-Pacific.

In a recent press release, Kodak's worldwide entertainment imaging services group GM, Bertrand Decoux, said, "The motion picture industry is at a crossroads. The convergence of film, digital and hybrid imaging technologies are changing the way movies are produced and distributed. The acquisition of Laser-Pacific is a logical combination."

Charles Swartz, executive director/CEO of the Entertainment Technology Center at the University of Southern California, home to the Digital Cinema Lab, also sees production workflow issues as critical to any discussion of liD in Hollywood.

"What has happened is, the digital cinema that we've done so far has all used a 24p post production workflow to prepare it for the digital projector," he says, adding that the material doesn't have to be acquired on 24p. "In fact, typically, it's not been shot on 24p. If you looked at every digital cinema [feature] release that's been done since Star Wars: Episode II, how many of them were shot on 24p? A bare handful if any. All of them went through a 35mm process where they basically used a 24p HD workflow."

And, Swartz says, there are some other mundane, but critical, issues that must be resolved. "Think of a show like Law & Order," he says. "Everything is on location. They may have one stage that they use for courtrooms and the police [headquarters] but for all the other stuff, they're on location. So how well does that work when you compare it to just being able to pull the Arriflex out of the case, slap on the magazine and the battery and go? That's a question to be considered."

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